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Ask your physical therapist first!

Did you know that physical therapists are experts in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders? We are highly trained health care providers whose specialty is decreasing pain, and improving mobility. Why is this important for you to know? There are a few reasons.

Your physical therapist is trained to identify the source of your pain. Numerous studies show that physical therapists are superior at identifying anatomy. The only profession that can compete is are orthopedic physicians. However, physicians are trained to perform complex surgeries and acute interventions--not to rehabilitate injuries. Excessive surgeries and procedures can negatively impact recovery. Physical therapists have an intimate knowledge of how your bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nervous system interact to produce movement, and pain. This means we have the knowledge to get you back on track after an injury.

Physical therapy is safe, even when your pain is severe. When we first meet you we will ask series of questions that may seem odd for a physical therapist to be asking. We ask these questions because they help us identify if you are an appropriate candidate for our interventions. A Physical Therapist’s education includes how to identify what we call “red flags”, or those things that indicate a more severe injury. Even when your pain is severe, physical therapy can be a safe and effective option.

Physical therapy can be much less expensive, and more effective at treating many conditions. For instance, when physical therapy is compared to surgery for back pain costs are reduced by 55%! A 2008 study done by the Journal of the American Medical Association proved that spending more does not equate to better treatment outcomes. In the era of decreasing coverage for higher premium costs this can be a huge help for those with injuries.

Physical therapist has a range of tools to use. Physical therapy isn’t just all exercise. While exercise is the bread and butter of physical therapy there is so much more. Many physical therapists are experts in manual therapy techniques. This involves mobilizing joints in order to help your nervous system modulate pain, and improve the movement of your joints. Trigger point therapy, and dry needling are used to release tight spots in muscles and produce very immediate pain relief.

We are focused on helping you learn how to improve and manage your pain so you don’t become reliant on us, Our first visit is spent gathering all of the information needed to create a roadmap that will lead you to healing. We will explain what is wrong, and how we’re going to fix it, and then give that road map to you. Subsequent visits are checkpoints, where we make sure you’re still on course, and that your map is still accurate. We make updates as needed and then send you back out there. We are your tour guides to recovery.

Physical therapy is perfect for anyone who is in pain. We use a whole-body approach to getting you back to the things you love. So next time you have injury or that pesky neck pain pops up, come see a physical therapist, we’d love to help!